Christchurch Earthquake bulletin edition three

The
Labour Party's Christchurch electorate MPs, Clayton Cosgrove
(Waimakariri), Ruth Dyson (Port Hills), Lianne Dalziel
(Christchurch East) and Brendon Burns (Christchurch Central)
have started a regular bulletin to keep people in their
electorates and media informed about what is happening at
grass roots level.

CLAYTON COSGROVE:

Many constituents
have told me over the weekend how totally shocked they are
by the pictures coming out of Japan. If anyone understands
what Japanese people are going through, it is the people of
Canterbury, even if not on the scale of what's happening
there. Today I am conducting a series of clinics in my
mobile bus, and visiting schools that are opening to see if
they have what they need. I am writing to the Mayor today,
on behalf of my electorate and my colleagues' electorates,
about the possibility of a rent freeze on council-owned
properties.

A number of these are in a bad way, and
people are paying rent while they can't live in them. I am
also attending a meeting of Kaiapoi businesses today focused
on reconstruction, and what impediments are in their way. I
will also be contacting the Ministry of Education to discuss
what arrangements are in place for schools that are now
effectively co-ed, and to discuss the installation of
temporary tanks as the long-term use of portaloos is no
longer satisfactory.

RUTH DYSON:

Over the weekend my
electorate office coordinated door knocking around city
council and Housing New Zealand homes across Christchurch.
We were able to supply food parcels, water and register
issues such as broken hot water cylinders. Some constituents
were upset that late fees were being charged by
international organisations such as Visa as a result of
unpaid bills due to undelivered mail.

I intend to inform
organisations charging late fees of the situation in
Christchurch--- if perhaps it has not been fully released. I
have confirmed a meeting for Lyttelton business owners next
Monday at midday which comes as a relief to many who are
still without access to their businesses. More generally,
Red Cross forms and work and income forms are in short
supply as the demand has been so high. People who never
expected to need assistance are suddenly in a position where
they need that helping hand. The services these
organisations are providing are immediate and much
appreciated. Tonight Lianne Dalziel and I will attend the
memorial service at Kings College for the students and staff
who lost, or are presumed to have lost, their lives in the
quake.

LIANNE DALZIEL:

On Saturday I met with a local
GP to have a serious discussion about the immediate and
on-going health needs of constituents. At the moment we are
still in the response phase but looking forward we will need
to provide on-going support services. I've written a paper
for the Christchurch welfare planning group that is meeting
today on these issues. There is still too little information
available on chemical toilets and a lack of common sense on
the allocation of portaloos. You can see the logistical
reality people face in maintaining these toilets on my
Facebook page where I am pictured emptying my own chemical
toilet: http://on.fb.me/hCFYUz. There are some serious
hygiene issues and while we need to stay positive, the
situation remains urgent. I also had the good fortune of
meeting with the Earthquake Commission's Rapid Assessment
Team on Saturday who came to my property in Bexley to survey
damage.

The team are using a 'system of triage' to
categorise residential homes giving families certainty as to
what they can expect in coming months. Today rapid
assessment teams will be visiting Westhaven, Shirley, New
Brighton, Woolston, Richmond, Phillipstown, Linwood and
Ferrymead. All the information about the way in which the
EQC are categorising homes is detailed in their recent
release: http://canterbury.eqc.govt.nz/releases/110311. On
Sunday I spoke at two church services at the Spreydon
Baptist Church passing on gratitude from Christchurch East
for all the support they have received from the wider
Christchurch community.

BRENDON BURNS:

I'll be meeting
the Civil Defence controller this morning with businesses
which are concerned about the need to shore up buildings in
the CBD. This afternoon I am having my fourth meeting with
Avonside constituents to discuss progress on the restoration
of services and other issues, and this afternoon I will be
taking my caravan to Papanui for my first visit to that part
of the electorate. There are a number of specific issues
I am following up, including a report of a family living in
a garage in Linwood, and a number of cases where parents are
confused or annoyed about decisions concerning their
children changing schools. I will also be contacting the
council to discuss the removal of rubble. Individual
homeowners have been told they can take their own rubble,
such as bricks from chimneys, away, but this is not
practical for many people, particularly elderly people.
People need to be assured the council also has a process for
taking rubble away
itself.

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